Autophobia
by TimeManipulator99
Summary: Autophobia is the fear of being alone. That is the reality of one David Kal. He is an individual of contradictions; adventurous, yet introverted and much of his wisdom is hypocritical. But, he is thrust into the world of Portal and takes the persona of the Doctor with one question lingering; why does he have autophobia? Full Summary inside. (Doctor Who Xover) Divided into arcs.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Autophobia is the fear of being alone. That is the unfortunate reality of one David Kal. He is an individual of contradictions; adventurous, yet introverted and much of his wisdom is hypocritical. But, he is thrust into the world of Portal and takes on the persona of the Doctor with one question lingering; why does he have autophobia? When he reveals his story, it'll take Chell and GLaDOS to make a plan to fix him. (Builds to actual storyline.)**

**A/N: Got this idea while reading ChellDOS fanfiction and watching Doctor Who regenerations (I cried during the 10th's). So, it was originally supposed to only be a self-insert fanfiction, but I got this idea 'what if David brought the sonic screwdriver with him?' Now, I know what you're thinking: 'But the Sonic Screwdriver doesn't exist in our world!' Well, you'll have to find out how I put that into action later in the chapter. This is a ChellDOS story, but it's going to build on the relationship of GLaDOS and Chell and the friendships between them and David _and _his persona as the Doctor. One thing to understand about David is that he is an ordinary human. I'm not going to make him automatically make him have all of these awesome hand-to-hand skills. Another thing is that he never was the actual Doctor in this story; it's just a name and a persona he takes on. Power comes with the name, right? So, now that I've blown your minds with my lengthiest and most loquacious author's note ever, onto the story!**

_Chassis Analysis Screen_

"Speech"

_"Over-Earpiece Speech" _

_'Thought' _

* * *

**Chell Retrieval Arc**

**Chapter 1**

GLaDOS was bored and she knew it.

She wasn't supposed to be able to feel bored. But, she also wasn't supposed to be able to delete Caroline, but she did anyway. Though, now, even though she _did_ delete Caroline, she... _felt__. _That's what scared her and, curse it all, she wasn't supposed to feel that either! She would never admit it to anyone or anything, but it kind of felt nice to feel and not be numb.

But, that didn't stop her from acting like she didn't feel and trying to ignore her new emotions. She tested... and she tested... and she tested ATLAS and P-Body until she thought she would burst if she couldn't find something living and _breathing_ to test. Then, there came the subject of the mute. With her newfound feelings, she found that the lunatic, even though she only tested and was a mute, was good company. Something else she realized that shocked her was that she _missed _her precious, mute lunatic.

She dwelled on this for the longest time, trying to discern what missing her meant. That is, until she heard a yelp and a thud behind her chassis. She turned her entire chassis to see a human that wasn't her mute lunatic.

_Analyzing..._

_Analyzing..._

_Analysis Complete_

_Human_

_Gender: Male_

_Height: 5'11_

_Age: 16 years_

_Hair Color: Brown_

_Eye Color: Brown_

_Race: Caucasian_

_Ethnicity: Italian-American_

_Body Language Suggests Uncertainty And Fear_

_No Aperture Science Personal Files Available_

_Conclusion: Unlikely Threat_

The teen's hair was short and gelled up into spikes at the front, leaving only three or four locks of his bangs falling down on the right side of the rest of them. He wore a plain, white t-shirt with some casual khakis and a navy blue, zip-up hooded jacket that was left unzipped. His shoes were brown slip-on dress shoes that looked a bit scuffed, but not a lot. If GLaDOS had had a mouth, she would have unknowingly smirked because, now, she had someone to test.

* * *

Blurry; everything was blurry and fuzzy as David woke up. When the world around him came into focus, he the massive AI from the video game he was just playing hovering in front of him. "Oh... My God..." he said.

GLaDOS merely hummed in curiosity, saying, "My, this one seems not to be mute. But, I've yet to see whether you are a lunatic."

"Um... Hi?" David said, unsure of the situation, "W-Well, a-are you..."

He trailed off, gulped, and continued, "Are you GLaDOS?"

"Why, yes, I am. It's surprising to say the least that you recognize my perfection."

The human's shoulders drooped a bit, _'I guess I should play her game if I wanna get out of this unscathed...' _"Yes, I came through a TV when my gaming console went berserk. Did you see which monitor I came out of?"

Had GLaDOS had a face, it would have gave his a skeptical look, "Impossible; there is no Aperture Science device capable of transportation between them and Black Mesa is far less superior to Aperture Science to have created such a thing. Tell the truth or I shall either end your petty sojourn here by sending you to the surface or exterminate you here. I enjoy the latter far more, just so you know."

He gulped, _'Choices, choices, choices... Either be alone, die, or tell a lie she'll believe. She'll never believe that I came through my video by a magic portal. Wait, I've got it! Well, here goes nothing!' _With a deep breath and a giant gulp, he said, "I am telling the truth. You know the Multiple Worlds Theory?"

A nod.

"Well, it was validated in my universe- yes I said my _universe_- and they found a way to create technology that turned monitors into a portal of sorts and I just so happened to be testing it when I got dumped into this place. In fact, the only way I know what this place is or even who you are is because, in my universe, this world is just a video game," then came the huge inhale.

He honestly didn't think he could talk that fast. But, that's just an example of how a life-threatening situation can affect someone. "_Testing _you say? So, you must have much experience with testing."

_'Oh~ no...' _"If so, you may have use for being here," GLaDOS said in her melodic voice.

"Wait!"

There was a hum of question that came from the massive AI that signaled David to continue, "Listen, I know how much you love to test... and how much you would like to do more to Wheatley than just send him into space-"

A snicker.

"- But, I don't have anywhere to go, so if you want me to test, you have to agree to let me stay here in return _and _provide accommodations. Yeah, I said it!"

Then, there came a silence that was almost crushing. It was eating away at David, so he jammed his hand into his jacket pocket to find something cylindrical there. He wrapped his fingers around it and brought it out as GLaDOS spoke, "I suppose that would be a fairly valid transaction. Welcome to the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, [Subject Name Here]."

When he brought the object to his line of sight, he grinned, "Hey, my sonic screwdriver! It came with me!"

"What in Science is a 'sonic screwdriver'?"

"Oh, well, it isn't real. But, if it was, it'd be able to do anything _to_ anything! ...well, except wood. Something about the particles of wood not allowing sonic waves to manipulate it. For example- lock that door, please."

The AI's chassis bobbed in what David perceived to be a nod and he walked over to the door, "Thank you, now, if this were real and not a prop, I'd be able to do this-" he pointed the screwdriver towards the door and pressed the button on the side, making the object light up a blue light at the tip and whine a warbling noise, "-and then, the door would be unlocked, but it's a prop, a fake, so I can't very well do-"

He was interrupted by the sound of a hydraulic door opening behind him. His muscles relaxed as he let out a chuckle, "Very funny, GLaDOS. Way to play a trick on a human."

GLaDOS merely blinked her unblinking optic, "I really did lock it. It seemed like a test. For science. So, I humored you."

David's jaw went slack as he whispered, "Holy tap-dancing Christ... I have a _real _sonic screwdriver."

"Mm, if that really does do what you say it does, then there is even greater scientific use for you, [Subject Name Here]," the AI said, slyly.

David wagged his finger as he smiled nervously, "Oh, no; nononononononono-"

"Shall I send you to the surface, then?"

"Shutting up!" he squeaked.

"Good," she said, "But, I _am _sending you to the surface for a special mission. One that that device can help with."

David sputtered and flailed his arms, all the while trying to haphazardly point to the screwdriver in his hand, "B-B-But, I hardly know how to work the thing! A-And what if everything's made of wood- Wait! What if it has... Uhh... Wha-What if it h-has... _Birds!_"

The massive chassis recoiled as if frightened, if only a little. Her optic flickered from left, then to the right, "Very well. If you must be prepared for those... beasts, then I shall give you 12 hours to learn how to work that device and get ready. I will call you when time is up."

With a sigh of relief, David nodded his head and asked, "Do you have a place where old technology junk is?"

GLaDOS brought a lift out of the white floor, "Indeed. There is a place where I throw outdated materials. Step into the lift."

There was a pause because the human doubted whether or not the AI was telling the truth. On one hand, she could be deceiving him, actually sending the lift to the incinerator. But, there _was _the small chance she was telling the truth. David wasn't the best at intimidation... or aggression... or asking questions. Especially if the person in question **(pun entirely intended) **is a murderous, omniscient, near-omnipotent AI who has control of the entire facility he's in.

Not very encouraging, to say the least.

Nevertheless, he stepped into the lift with the thought, _'I have nothing to lose, so...'_ The hatch hissed shut and sent him into the depths of Old Aperture. He let out a long sigh and leaned onto the back panel when a small tubular shape _'tss'_-ed from the wall. It opened to reveal a small earpiece with the Aperture logo on it. GLaDOS' voice rang from the ceiling, "This is the Aperture Science Easy-Transport Communication Device. It will allow me to speak to you in the old facility beyond this elevator... and on the little mission I have for you."

The shear ominousness of the tone made David shudder, but he put on the earpiece. When he felt the clunk of the lift hit the ground, he stepped out and spoke to the communicator, "GLaDOS, where's the place?"

A light sigh came over the speaker, _"Such a mundane task,"_ she said in a bored tone, _"First, you must go on in the direction for about 50 feet. Then, turn left..."_ **(Heheh, GPS-GLaDOS)**

* * *

After the arduous endeavor of having to listen to GLaDOS both give him direction and insult him on his maneuvering skills, he'd arrived at a door marked "Aperture Science Technology Waste Facility". "Alright, GLaDOS. I'm here. Thanks."

_"Of course you're there. You had my directions, even if you have the grace and orienteering of a beached whale," _she said.

With a mere roll of his eyes, he made his way into the room and found himself surrounded my mounds of old and malfunctioned devices. He walked around, picking up various technology and messing around with some of them. Every now and then, he'd be spooked by the sound of parts of the old facility breaking off and falling into the acid pit of the salt mine. It would send his heart rate up and then, he would calm it again. Then, came the mocking from GLaDOS, saying either he was taking as long as a small fish using its head to break out of its bowl or that he was much too frightened to be that small fish.

_'Seafood must be the insult topic of the day...' _he thought with a frustrated sigh. Luckily, though, everything was alphabetized, so he had that going for him, which was nice. He'd gotten from 'A' to 'D' by simply testing the ones that looked interesting and that had done him little good, so when he got to 'E', he was determined to test each and every one of the devices. That is, until GLaDOS' voice rang over the earpiece, _"[Subject Name Here], I have need to inform you that you now have 1 hour until I am sending you to the surface with your assignment."_

"What?!" he almost yelled, "I've already been down here for eleven hours?!"

_"Mm, more like three. But, twelve hours seems like such an unnecessary amount of time. So, I-"_

David interrupted GLaDOS, saying, "Uhh, GLaDOS? What does _this _thing do?"

He could almost _taste _the exasperation in the AI's voice when she sighed, _"I can't see it, you know. Or have you forgotten that you're in the Old Aperture facility. Where I can't see anything. Can't being the key word. Maybe you have the brain of a seal and you **can't** __understand me."_

He rolled his eyes, _'Yup. Definitely seafood...'_

* * *

**A/N: Pretty good intro, yeah? I've divided this story into different arcs. The first being the intro arc, the Chell Retrieval Arc, the second being the ChellDOS development arc (I haven't named it yet) and the third one being the Autophobia Arc, the main one. There will be a fourth arc for those who aren't satisfied with the ending of the Autophobia Arc. So, think of the fourth as an alternate ending of sorts. Because if some people get all butthurt about sad or unsatisfying endings, I added that to help with the happy ending that's all sunshine and rainbows. But, I do get the importance of a happy ending because, I, myself, don't like sad endings... unless I write them. So, anyway; until the next chapter: converse goes with anything, take tea with the bag in, and always, ALWAYS be friendly to your fellow Whovians! See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, there! Well, I didn't get any reviews last chapter... I cried a little. So please! Review! I like hearing from you people! I don't ask for much! Even if it's to say the last chapter was very rushed! It was! Ask questions, I like answering them, so please, ask them. Now that I'm done, let's get this party started. I've got the good confetti.**

_Chassis Analysis Screen/ Earpiece Screen_

"Speech"

_"Over-Earpiece Speech" _

_'Thought' _

* * *

**Chell Retrieval Arc**

**Chapter 2**

Soon after David had this thought, he saw something interesting. It wasn't a heavy weapon like a firearm or any piece of armor. Instead, what he found was a thinly clothed, black glove that seemed to have an exoskeleton made from what looked to be steel. The skeleton was underneath the fabric, but David saw that it branched off from the main one and cupped at the tips. He slipped it on and the small, thimble-like cups tipped his fingers, sending goose bumps up his arm from the cold metal.

The glove and circle of metal at the end of the skeleton went to about the end of his forearm, stopping a bit before. The metal circle clamped down on his forearm, keeping the whole thing in place. He was actually quite concerned about how comfortably it fit on his arm, but he asked GLaDOS through the earpiece, "Uhh, GLaDOS? I found this glove with a metal exoskeleton. You know what it does?"

_"Mm... Ah, yes, I remember that device. The human maintenance workers used to wear those. They are Geolightning Latex over Vexing Exoskeletons or GLoVE, to be short. A very useless piece-"_

"GLaDOS? What does it do? I know you love you're useless acronyms, but what does it do?" he said, working up the gall.

GLaDOS was silent for a bit, but in a minute or two, she answered, _"Well, I suppose not everyone can appreciate my nomenclature," _she gave a bored sigh and continued, _"It used to be used to draw electricity from certain areas so the humans could perform maintenance on said area. A very useless piece of technology now." _

David hung his head and let out a sigh. _'Great... A useless glove... or GLoVE.' _He sat, criss-cross, trying to think of a solution to his little predicament. He had very few options as of now; he could go out onto the surface and try to make use of a useless device, he could throw the GLoVE away, waste the rest of his short time looking for something else, and end up with nothing on the surface. He shrugged: if it was a lose-lose situation, he wanted to be prepared, so he stuck the GLoVE into his pocket and moved on to the next junk pile.

* * *

Chell has had a pretty good life so far since she left Aperture. She's had a variety of food, she has a job, and even a home of her own. It wasn't even an apartment, either; it was a house, a _home_. But, there was only one thing that was wrong with her new life and that was the fact that she was pretty much a pariah to the entire village. None of the people were very friendly, but only a few were hostile.

The majority of the town was just indifferent to her. Not even a 'hi' when she walked past someone on the way to work and, oh, yes.

Her job.

Well, she didn't exactly make a lot of money, if one could call the metal bottle caps from sodas a currency if she remembered drinking them in Aperture before- ...nope, she wasn't about to even _think _about _Her_. Well, she got a measly 5 caps a week for working the water plant on the other end of the village, which all things considered, wasn't all that far. The entire town couldn't have been larger than an over-sized test chamber. But, she supposed she couldn't complain, especially when the job isn't nearly messy at all for being manual labor. So, now, she was at her house (more of a cozy metal shack), covering a black eye with ice wrapped in a paper towel.

It wasn't a very uncommon phenomenon to come home like that. She could hardly ever walk home without getting beaten and, for those who wouldn't believe the Great Chell, mute lunatic, could be touched, it was just a matter that robots were easy to outsmart and/or get along with. Humans were just too complicated to be associated with, so that was one of the reasons she was outcast. The other was that she came out of the wheat; the strange wheat that the people dared not touch because it was supposedly cursed, so it came to their reason that Chell had to be cursed as well. She sighed, "Ridiculous..."

You see, Chell isn't all that _She _had made her out to be. For one, she was most certainly _not _fat! Not even pudgy, not in the least. But, most importantly, she was not mute.

Well, not now, anyway.

Something about Aperture and the tragic 'Bring Your Daughter To Work' day and the even more tragic 'Bring Your Cat To Work' day cause enough trauma to her psyche to make her stop speaking. Oh, how she'd have liked to give that insulting, cocky AI a piece of her mind. Well, that is, if she could have. But, as soon as she was on the outside of Aperture, her voice came back; quick as a fatboy going after the last Twinkie in humanity. She was tenacious in the tests, but she usually had insults to throw right back at people.

Though, it didn't mean she didn't like the AI's voice; on the contrary, it was quite pleasant. At least, when it was bored and _not _throwing insults about her weight and/or her possible brain damage that may or may not be there. There was something melodic about it that, when Chell thought about it, made her feel something inside her feel empty. Very odd, but she could ignore it. She was actually very grateful that the AI let her keep her long fall boots; they were comfortable as well as pleasant to look at.

She sighed and got up to go get something to eat. Oh, something else that _She_ got wrong, Chell hardly ate. As far as food went, she had an abundance of food, but she was more worried about letting the food spoil than not having enough. "Why am I even thinking about this...?" she mumble to herself, a bad habit she had developed.

But, nonetheless, she had a pretty good life going for her in this shanty little village, despite the shifty looks.

* * *

David's head hung low as he plodded into the elevator that would bring him up to the new Aperture facility. Not a single piece of technology! Not a one! The only thing he had found other than the GLoVE was a small sidearm... which blew up in his face when he tried to shoot it. Now, he had nothing, nothing but a useless glove with an exoskeleton!

He was going to die; he was going to die all alone on the surface with no one around to acknowledge his death or even find him. This thought made him start to hyperventilate. To be alone... it terrified him so much. He didn't want to be alone, not after what happened just a month before. He was just diagnosed a couple days ago with autophobia, the fear of being alone or isolated. He was never to be left by himself for extended periods of time, but it didn't matter. Nothing anyone did could console him.

Nothing...

He would be alone no matter who was there.

All he could do was calm himself to stop breathing so fast as he got in the elevator and hope to God he will not have needed a weapon in the first place. When he was brought to the main chamber, GLaDOS' optic greeted him and she spoke, "Now, that you've gone and run your little errands, it is time for you to receive details on your assignment."

David audibly gulped at the thought of what he was going to be asked to do. Was she going to make him delve into a radioactive cave for some ancient piece of technology? No... GLaDOS wouldn't care about that sort of thing. But, if not something as ridiculously dangerous as that, then what? Finally, the Queen of Aperture said something he only saw coming in fanfictions he read, "You are going to bring my dangerous, mute lunatic of a test subject back where she belongs."

His eye twitched somewhat, "What?! I thought you were sending me to do something dangerous! Unless it has something to do with the Combine, you can already consider the job done! Where is she and why do you want her back?"

GLaDOS paused for a picosecond to think, "The test subject is Aperture property and cannot simply be let run free. It would be remiss of me," she paused again, longer than David felt comfortable with, "... and let's just say that the settlement she is at is going to try to reduce its population by one."

"Alright. Send me up."

"I'm putting an iota of trust in you, [Subject Name Here]. Don't even think of betraying it."

David let out a chuckle, "Nonsense. I wouldn't _dream_ of doing such a thing."

He stepped into the lift that would take him to the surface and took a deep breath. He'd never played the Half-Life games and only known about the Combine and the outside world through the fanfictions he had read, so he really wasn't sure what he was getting into. But, there was one thing he was sure of and that was that he would not be very wise to use his real name up there if he didn't want to be tracked or stalked. The lift started elevating and he stumbled forward a bit, but recomposed himself. _"Now, you are to bring back the lunatic as soon as possible. Should you decide to play around, I will be cross. Have I made myself clear?" _

Gulp...

"Crystal."

Slowly, but surely, he was brought up and out of Aperture, onto the surface. When stepped out, he tested the signal, "GLaDOS, can you hear me?"

_"Yes. The connection is quite strong enough." _

With a sigh of relief, he continued into the wheat. _"Now, I'm sending the coordinates of the village to your earpiece. Wait a moment," _she demanded.

The glass screen on the side of the earpiece popped out of its usual place, attached to a wire, and placed itself in front of David's left eye. It read:

_Location for Aperture Science Test Subject Chell [REDACTED]_

_Region D-15-03-20-15-18__*_

_Coordinates 62426809_

_Direction West-Southwest_

A small, orange dot appeared on the screen and moved left to right when he rotated his head right to left and below the dot was a small '121m'. He assumed it was the direction Chell was in, so he journeyed on. When the display showed he was about fifty meters from Chell's location, he broke into a jog. He jogged until he came upon the shanty village. It was comprised mostly of metal shacks, big ones he could tell were stores and bars and the smaller ones, houses. He sighed and mumbled, "Great. I've gone from Portal to Fallout..."

With another sigh, he walked into a bar and went straight to the bartender. He rest his arms on the bar and looked him dead in the eye like every western movie he'd ever seen, "Whiskey. Neat."

"Ain't you a bit young to be drinkin'?" the bartender said.

"Ain't you a bit old to be bartending?"

The bartender narrowed his eyes, then chuckled, his voice gruff and gravelly, "Heh, touché, kid."

As he went to get the drink, he asked, "So, what's yer name, kid?"

David said the first fake name that came to his mind.

"I'm the Doctor."

* * *

_***The numbers spell out something. Can you figure it out?**_


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: HEEEEEEY! Well, I've gotten some very useful information from Astrogamer on a lot of things. I'm trying to follow the advice, so don't worry! It will get better! Did anyone figure out the Region Riddle from last chapter? Review and tell me if you did! 11/9/13 EDIT: changed the mistake where Drake calls David 'Dave' instead of 'Doctor' and fixed the thing with Drake's eyes so they're blue, not brown.**

_Chassis Analysis Screen/ Earpiece Screen_

"Speech"

_"Over-Earpiece Speech" _

_'Thought' _

* * *

**Chell Retrieval Arc**

**Chapter 3**

"Doctor who?" the old bartender asked.

David merely answered, "It's just the Doctor, thanks."

As his drink was set on the bar, the old man stuck his hand out, which David took and shook, "Name's Bill. Pleasure meetin' you, Doctor."

The younger man inwardly facepalmed. How could he not notice the similarities before?! The man in front of him was Bill, from one of his games, Left 4 Dead! But, what was he doing bartending here? David mumbled to himself, "What are _you _doing here, instead of fighting off the undead in Left 4 Dead?"

Before he could ask that very question, David took a look at his surroundings, something he hadn't done at first. It was a very western saloon style building, except, it was made from sheet metal, with wooden tables and chairs. The generic look for post-apocalyptic bars. Kind of reminded him of Moriarty's Saloon in Fallout 3. But it was the people that made him nearly lose his facade; there was a man about 19 or 20, sitting in one of the seats in a blue jumpsuit, a big yellow '101' on his back; his hair was blond and buzzed to look like a flattop and he had green eyes.

Across from him sat a woman about the same age, maybe a year or two older, that had very 'old west' clothing on and had a Stetson on her head of chesnut brown hair; she, too, had green eyes, but she was a bit more tanned than the young man. They looked at him with knowing looks and talked to each other in hushed voices, all the while the front door opened. In walked a man maybe in his early thirties, late twenties; he had faded blue jeans on with tennis shoes and a cream colored (not entirely naturally), long-sleeved shirt on with the sleeves pulled up his forearms. His hair was styled up and he had a slight five o' clock shadow. His blue eyes were intense, with a pistol strapped to his side.

The girl in the western clothes smiled at him, "Hey, Nate," she didn't seem to have a western accent, "You see the new guy? Calls himself 'The Doctor.' See if you can't get some info. Y'know, get a few drinks in him."

"I'll see what I can do."

David tried to keep calm on the outside, but on the inside, he was a mess. Who was he to deny having a drink with someone as connected as Nathan Drake? But, ah, there the answer lay; for he could turn the tables on this little sham and get answers as to where Chell was. The Earpiece only lead him to the village and not to the actual location. So, when Drake sat next to him, he remained calm, "So... 'Doctor' was it? Mind if I buy you a drink?"

David smiled and said, "Yeah, Mr..."

"Drake. Nathan Drake. No 'Mister' involved," he chuckled as motioned Bill for a drink, "So, what game you from?"

Both of their drinks arrived, but David didn't touch his, "What?"

Drake frowned somewhat after taking a sip of scotch, "What game are you from? You _are _in the Nexus, you know that right?"

"I'm in a nexus?" David questioned.

The other brunet intertwined his fingers and set his arms on the bar, turning his head towards David, "Not _a _nexus, _the _Nexus. This universe was created as a place for all the 'good guys' of other universes' video games once their role is done. We just leave our residual simulations behind for the rest of the people to play as. That used to be the main entertainment for royalty in Gallifrey-"

"Gallifrey?!" David suddenly burst, "This place was created by Time Lords?!"

There was an eyebrow raised at that point, "Yes. I'm surprised that you're shocked. You look old enough to know; what's going on here?"

_"Don't you dare tell him your mission, [Subject Name Here]!" _suddenly rang over the earpiece.

David flinched, "Look, let's leave it at I'm not from here, okay? I'm looking for someone. Someone you may know. Chell-"

He couldn't finish his sentence as he was picked up by his shirt, slammed onto the bar, and had three pistols pointed at his head. His eyes were wide with fear and his mouth was agape slightly. "Whatcha want with Chell, kid?" Bill ordered.

"I-I need to t-talk to her! I thought this town wanted her gone! I was gonna get her out of here," David spewed out, disregarding GLaDOS' protests over the headset.

"How do we know you actually want to talk, _Doctor_?" the man from Fallout 3 finally spoke.

He ended up begging for his life in a manner he was not exactly proud of. It went something like this...

"Come on! You can come with me if you want! Guard her or something, I don't care, I'm just here to get her out of here."

Drake sighed and turn to the only woman there, who (David figured) was from Fallout: New Vegas, "What about you, 'Lilah? I haven't heard you say anything."

"I don't think he's lying," the newly dubbed 'Delilah' said, "I mean, he's just a kid-"

"Hey, I'm 16!"

"Zip it."

"Yes, ma'am," he squeaked.

She continued, "Anyway, I think we should do what he suggested and just watch him from the outside."

"Yes! Someone who sees reason!"

"I said zip it!" she snapped.

"Okay!"

* * *

It was later on that same night and Chell was walking home from the water plant. She usually wore a grey tank top and some black yoga pants; all of her Aperture clothing hidden under a floorboard in her house. She wore her long-fall boots and still wore her hair as she did in Aperture, but she had left her Companion Cube, the only thing besides the long-falls that bound her to Aperture, at the edge of the town, deciding that she would have no need for it in her new life.

Boy, did she wish she had it now.

She knew that even if she had brought it, actually _talking _to it would be highly frowned upon in this village. Even more so than her very presence in the place. So, she shook the possibility of going and getting the cube out of her mind and picked up the pace home. But, unfortunately, she wouldn't be getting home without a visit. "Well, well," a voice chimed from behind, "Seems our friend here didn't get the picture last night, Pen."

The voice seemed as dim-witted as it was deep; and it was _very _deep. The other voice- Pen's voice- had a Bronx accent and it had a sleazy tone, "Yeah, Ned. Seems so, doesn't it."

Chell walked faster.

But, of course, it didn't help as a figure, about 6'5, blocked her path. The fact that when she bumped into him, she was disoriented didn't help either. Another form, a man about 6'0 walked out from behind the towering giant. His hair was fairly short, black, and slicked back and a cigarette hung from his lips. He was tanned like most of the populace and his eyes were a piercing shade of aqua blue, but they weren't pleasant to look at like other aqua eyes.

They held malice towards many people, especially towards Chell at the moment. Plus, the grin on his face told her he was there to apologize and play pattycake. So, now, she's an outcast, lonely, and about to get beaten by a hulking buffoon. _'This is _not _what I had in mind for a new life...' _she thought with a sigh. "So, here's how it's gonna go," Pen started, "You're gonna give me your caps, take a few hits, and stay quiet about it. Right, doll?"

"Tch, not this time, pretty boy. Not without a fight."

Pen's features darkened, "Alright, then. If _that's _the way you wanna play it, doll. Then, I think we'll add a bit more to this little 'barter'."

* * *

Bill closed up the bar sometime around 7 after him, David, Drake, Delilah, and the young man (who is unnamed at the moment) from Fallout 3 had discussed how they were going to go about David's priorities. They had all agreed that David would be able to go a speak to Chell, but they were going to watch from every window (which, in a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, and a den with a window for every room, it wouldn't be hard) of the house, proceeding to tell David they would quite literally kill him if he tried anything. Now, they were on their way to Chell's house, with the occasional question from David, "So, why is it that everyone else here outcasts her, but you guys like her just fine?"

Drake was the one to answer, "Well, Doctor, we're the only ones who know we're in the Nexus. The townspeople are just random guys who were pulled from their universes- well, you know the Bermuda Triangle. Anyway, all of us came from the same direction from our games, out in the open over there. Well, Chell was just unfortunate enough to come out of the wheat, the thing that they had deemed cursed. The rest is history..."

"Well, what about Half Life? Why don't people from Half Life come here? If Portal and Half Life are in the same universe, why aren't there people coming from both?"

Drake sighed and looked at the young man from Fallout 3, "You wanna take that one, Tony?"

"Sure," he said, "The Combine knows about the Nexus and they keep the protagonists from coming here. You see, to get here, you have to walk and the Combine was able to barricade the pathway to the Nexus. Chell was lucky enough that the Combine didn't find out where Aperture was and barricade further out."

"Oh..." David trailed off and stayed silent the rest of the trip.

When they got to Chell's house, Drake went and knocked on the door. There wasn't an answer, so he knocked again. Once again, there wasn't an answer, "I don't understand, she should be home by now!"

"Uhh, Drake," David started, "Are any of the townspeople... hostile towards Chell?"

Drake's eyes widened, "Pen..."

"What?" David asked.

"Come on, we need to find Chell, _now_!" he exclaimed, already running away from the house, towards a part of the town.

All of them ran until they came to an alleyway where they heard grunts and sounds of struggle. David was the first to rush in, Drake, Delilah, Tony, and Bill close behind. There, David saw what looked to be a thin sleaze-bag and a large man beating up someone. When he looked closer, he saw the figure was Chell! "Hey!" he yelled, "Get off her!"

They both looked back, Chell was struggling to get up. "Why should we, kid?" Pen said.

David reached for his Sonic, trying to bluff his way out, "If you don't, it would be bad for your health."

The larger one spoke up, "Tch, no way, doctor 'all-talk-and' uh... uh-"

"-No bite?" David continued for Ned and pulled out his Sonic, "Ohh, nice guess, but actually if you don't mind, it's just 'The Doctor'."

Poor Ned looked confused, "Uhh, just, the Doctor? But, that's not a name... is it, Pen?"

"Just shut up, you dimwit and get 'im!"

David inwardly panicked, _'Crap, they called my bluff!' _But, a loud gunshot rang through the air and Ned dropped dead. The startled brunet looked back and saw Tony, with his pistol outstretched in front of him. Drake rushed forward and engaged Pen, punching him in the face and kneeing him in the stomach. David took this opportunity to run to Chell. When he got to her, she was on her feet, wiping blood from her lip, so he grabbed her hand and whispered in her ear, "Run."

* * *

_**IMPORTANT: Ohh-hoo-hoo. It's about to get real up in here! What do you think's gonna happen? Well, the Chell Retrieval Arc is almost finished. Maybe about two or three more chapters, then, we get into the Filler Arc, which has the development of friendship (or decline in hostility on GLaDOS' part) between GLaDOS, David, and Chell. It also developes the ChellDOS relationship. So there will be some fluff. But, that won't stop me from putting some drama in there. So, until next chapter: Stetsons are cool, don't blink, and never, NEVER hear drums.**_


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well, now that I've looked over some stuff with the story line and I can guarantee that the Chell Retrieval Arc will be complete in the next chapter, definately! The hard part is developing on the ChellDOS part. If anyone wants to give me some tips, feel free to tell me! I like feedback from readers. I'm only one heart of the Time Lord, people. You guys are the other.**

_Chassis Analysis Screen/ Earpiece Screen_

"Speech"

_"Over-Earpiece Speech" _

_'Thought' _

* * *

**Chell Retrieval Arc**

**Chapter 4**

David kept running in the direction of Chell's house, owner of said house trailing behind, grasping his hand. She stopped him and asked, "Who are you and why are we still running?"

Her voice, when it wasn't determined or trying to dish out insults, was actually soft spoken, like he'd imagined. David had always figured that if Chell was mute for years (give or take the brain-damage), she would not be used to her voice. So, it would leave her voice very soft, in his mind. He replied, "I'm the Doctor and just because. When I say run, run. Now, run!"

So they did.

And they didn't stop until they reached Chell's house. When they got there, David stopped, let go of Chell's hand, and motioned her inside, "After you."

Chell smiled and rolled her eyes. _'Oh, so chivalrous,' _she thought sarcastically, but went inside regardless, David following shortly after. He immediately turned to her and checked to see if anyone was around, "Okay, my name is David and I'm gonna get you out of here."

She merely raised her eyebrow at him, "And go where? There's nowhere to go. More importantly, why?"

"Because," he said, "This town is going to try to get rid of you. Well, except Nate and the others."

Chell looked down at her feet, _'It couldn't last, could it?' _

* * *

GLaDOS sat in her main chamber and rewound the audio footage from the earpiece, _"Who are you and why are we still running?- Who are you and why are we still running?- And go where? There's no where to go. More importantly, why?- why?- why?" _

She couldn't believe it; the lunatic's voice was captivating. Maybe it was just her finally being able to hear it after so much silence, but there was definitely some subtle beauty in the former test subject's voice, the utterance of a single syllable having the utmost importance to the AI. But, GLaDOS would never tell it to anyone, ever. Not David, _definitely _not the former mute, no one. Then she realized something horrible; he's out.

_He's out! _She didn't bother to do anything to make sure he came back. She was in such a rush to send him out to fetch her lunatic, she didn't take precautions; she cut corners. Now, he didn't have to come back and he would surely save Chell on his own, receiving all the adulation! And according to her research on human behavior, she would fall in love with him and they would go off and copulate in such a disgusting manner and-

.

.

.

Wait...

Had she just been... _Jealous?! _Why in the name of Science would she be jealous of a human male barely out of his pubescent stage of life, while _she _was the epitome of all scientific creation? It was ridiculous, to say the least; once the test subject found out she was needed at Aperture personally, she would come running back. GLaDOS was just _that _perfect. All she had to do was relax and wait.

Then, another thought came into her head. She had needed all of her cameras to keep the lunatic in sight, not she would need a set of eyes herself _and _the cameras to keep track of _two _humans. _'But, what to do...?' _she mused. She already knew the answer, but she already hated it, the idea of putting herself in something _they _looked like. Although, having the dexterity of fingers would be handy, instead of just Manipulation Claws, she had to admit it. Plus, even though she would look like _them_, the biotechnology would be such a step for Science and it would be another step ahead of Black Mesa.

... And she would quite enjoy (as trivial as it sounded) the mobility. With that last though, she pulled up an empty space in the database, sent for ATLAS and P-Body, and began to compose schematics for an android body. Surely it wouldn't take longer than an hour or two to create a body that was suitable enough. If she couldn't get them to come back, she would go and _get _them!

* * *

While she had been looking at her feet, Chell hadn't noticed David look around and start wandering about like he owned the place. He quickly went to a couch, "A couch! Oh, I never thought I'd see a couch again," he sat down in it, "Ah... and it's comfy too!"

He got up and went of to the small TV in the corner of the den. Knocking the top of it with a curious look, he said, "Not bad. Say, where d'you get all this stuff?"

Chell was started out of her reverie by his voice, "Uhh, just exploring, some scavenging..."

"Of course!"

After about twenty minutes of David looking around and, apparently, licking things (he thought if he was using the Doctor's name, he might as well live up to it as best he could), there was a knock at the door. Chell sighed, got up, and opened the door to see Drake and middle-aged man with grey hair styled back and a plain old mustache that was a slightly darker grey. He, too, had blue eyes, as well as an orange button-up shirt that had the sleeves rolled up instead of pushed up, like Drakes. He also wore some khakis that were a little darker than David's pale khakis. "So," the man started, "Where's this 'Doctor', eh? He isn't someone I'm gonna hate, is he?"

Chell raised her eyebrow and motioned to David, mid-lick on some strange goo he found leaking out of the wall. Drake chuckled and lightly backhanded the older man's arm, who facepalmed and merely muttered, "Dammit..."

Immediately, David wiped off the substance on the couch, "Sorry. Krillitane oil. Messy business. I'm the Doctor, by the way."

"Sully," he said, extending his hand.

The younger teen beamed and took it in his own, shaking it vigorously a couple times. "So, do you mind tellin' me just what the hell's goin' on?" Sully asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Wait," David said, "Where's 'Liliah, Tony, and Bill?"

"Outside, keeping watch," Drake suddenly said.

"Oh," said the younger man, "Well, that's good. Now, have you heard anything from any of the citizens about running Chell out?"

Drake put a hand to his chin to think, meanwhile Sully held up his finger, signaling he had something, "Now that I think about it, there _was _Taylor and Lynn talking about something big going down tomorrow night. Maybe that's what they were talking about."

"Dunno," Drake said.

David's expression became serious, "Well, my mission is to get Chell out of here, not sit around and wait for this 'thing' to happen-"

A rock came through the window, shattering it. It hit David in the head, effectively knocking him out...

A voice cried out, "Doctor!"

* * *

Meanwhile, billions of lightyears and some-odd years in the past, a man with long, brown hair moussed back, green eyes, suspenders, and a bowtie perked up. He didn't say a word, but just shrugged and went back to whatever he was doing before.

* * *

When David came to, he was still on the ground, but someone was shaking him now. He opened his eyes to see Bill shaking him about, occasionally slapping his face lightly, "Kid! Doctor! The mob's here, time to go."

With his hand on his head, David groaned and got up slowly. When he looked out the window, he saw numerous torches and (quite clichéd, he added) pitchforks. He didn't see any guns, but that did nothing to keep him from worrying about the possibility. There were shouts of 'Cursed one', 'Get out', and 'Die'. There weren't much more than about 100 people, maybe a bit more, but that was still enough to overpower 7 people.

"Go," Drake told him, "We'll try to reason with them."

_'Great,' _he thought, _'Now, I actually **need **a weapon! Now what?!' _He went over to Chell and held her with a firm gaze, "Do you have a back door?"

She nodded a couple times, much to David's relief. "We have to get out of here," he said.

When they went out of the back door, he saw the wheat field straight ahead in front of him. He sent his hand into his own face with a resounding _'smack!'_ and grumbled a bit, but looked back at Chell and nodded toward the field with a smile. The woman's eyes widen and she shook her head. David furrowed his brow, but reached out his hand to her, smiling, "Come on. There's nothing in the wheat to be afraid of."

"You don't understand-"

"_Chell_, we have to go or we'll both die!"

Chell gulped, but took his hand. "Thank you," he said.

As he turned, though, she saw the earpiece, Aperture logo and all. Her eyes, again, widened and she wrenched her hand from his, "No!"

"What? What is it?" David asked.

She pointed to his left ear, "_She _sent you, didn't she?!"

"Chell," David's visage became serious, "Listen to me, GLaDOS-"

"Don't you say Her name!" she yelled, scowling at him.

David's eyes widen and he tried to shush her, but he saw the torchlight coming around the corner. He started to think, _'Think, think, think! I've only got the GLoVE for protection. But, how can I- Sonic!' _He reached into his pocket, pulled out the GLoVE, and put it on. David then grabbed Chell by the shoulders, shaking her a bit, "Chell! We have to go back to Aperture if we want to live! Now, you've got to trust me!"

Breathing close to what sounded like hyperventilation, Chell looked into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity and slowly nodded. David smiled and gave a quick nod, "Now! Let's see about this thing."

He pressed the button on the side of the Screwdriver a few times before Chell pulled him into the field when she heard a gunshot and they broke into a run through the wheat field. David continued fiddling with the device now on his arm. "What are you doing?" Chell asked incredulously.

"Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow."

"What's that?"

"Reversing the polarity of the neutron flow."

"Why are you doing that?"

"To reverse the polarity of the neutron flow. Now, please, save all questions until we aren't in jeopardy."

They continued to run until the shed was in sight, but so was the glow of the mob in pursuit of them. Chell looked back and heard a gun shot. A second of white-hot pain shot through her body and her world went back. At that same moment, David turned around just in time to see her hit the ground with a thump, a bloody stain in the center of her back. "Chell!" he screamed.

He heard someone not too far away call out, "I think I got her!"

David ran back and checked her pulse. _'Oh no, oh no! No, no, no! If she dies, GLaDOS will kill me!' _he thought, flying into a panic. It was still there, but it was faint and slow. He brought his had that had the GLoVE on it and started to work on in some more, trying to figure out what frequency to use on it. Settings...

1? Nope.

1A? Nope. Okay, lets skip some.

5B? Nope.

6? Yes! He didn't know how, but he felt it tell him that it was correct!

He just thought of what he wanted it to do (which was to reverse the polarity of the neutron flow, obviously) and scanned over the length of the GLoVE. Something in his mind told him to stop and he did (he'd have to get used to something in his head). Now, the GLoVE was an unpredictable weapon because, now that he'd reversed the polarity of the neutron flow, he suspected that instead of sucking in electricity, it would expel electricity. Effectively, it would shock the target with a bolt of lightning. But, now, when he looked up, he saw the mob standing still in front of him.

Quickly, the young man pulled Chell towards him, partially cradling her, "Stop! Just let us go!"

A man (who had a deer rifle) stepped forward, "What if you come, huh? Do you think all of us are that stupid?"

David noticed the rifle and his eyes narrowed, "Are you the one who shot her?"

"Heh," the man chuckled, "So what if I did? What shrimp punk like you gonna do about it?"

At that moment, David calmly, gently laid Chell down on the ground. When he looked up at them, his face was twisted into a scowl, "You've just hurt someone I liked and that is _not _a very safe place to stand!"

Clenching his gloved hand, extending it, and pressing the button on the end, David opened his hand and let loose a lightning strike that instantly hit the man, killing him, he himself flinching. He pointed it at the mob in general, who had fear written all over their faces. "Now... flee? Or, are you going to stay?" he said, voice wavering.

The entire mob dropped their things and ran, leaving David free to carry Chell the rest of the way to the shed. Into the lift they went, the younger of the two starting to panic again, fearing he'd taken too long in getting her there. He scrambled out of the lift and called out, "GLaDOS! GLaDOS, help! Chell's been shot!"

But, he didn't see the AI anywhere.

.

.

.

.

.

WHY WASN'T GLADOS ANYWHERE?!

* * *

**_Man, things are getting tense, if I do say so myself. Things are winding down for this Arc so next chapter should do it and lead straight into the ChellDOS Filler Arc. And please... review. It fuels me!_**


End file.
